November 29th 2024.
San Jose State University is fully aware of the team they must defeat in order to secure a spot in the highly anticipated NCAA women's volleyball tournament. The Spartans have been on a bye in the first round of the Mountain West tournament this week and have advanced to the final on a forfeit. Their opponent, the No. 1-seeded Colorado State, will face off against them on Saturday for the prestigious conference title.
In a thrilling semifinal match on Friday afternoon in Las Vegas, the Rams emerged victorious against San Diego State with a score of three sets to one. After the match, Colorado State's esteemed coach, Emily Kohan, confirmed that her team will indeed be playing against SJSU in the highly anticipated final. Speaking about the team's journey this season, Kohan expressed that it has been a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges. She believes that unless one has been in the team's inner circle, it is difficult to truly understand the depth of their experiences. However, she also acknowledges that regardless of anyone's personal opinions, it is important to recognize the bravery and resilience displayed by the young players throughout the season.
Kohan further added that it is their responsibility to put an end to all the controversy surrounding the team. The coach emphasized that they will not pass on the burden of difficult conversations to the NCAA committee or any other team. Instead, they will handle it with grace and determination. The Spartans, who hold the No. 2 seed in the conference, have had a mixed record against Colorado State this season. While they suffered a defeat in Fort Collins on October 3rd, they managed to defeat the Rams in an intense five-set match in San Jose on November 16th.
The semifinal match on Wednesday night between Boise State and Utah State took a surprising turn when Boise State forfeited the game after defeating their opponents in the quarterfinal. Although the Broncos did not provide any explanation for their decision, it was not the first time they have forfeited a match against San Jose State. In fact, there have been four other opponents who have also forfeited regular-season matches to the Spartans. This all came after a lawsuit was filed by SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser and others against the NCAA in September, claiming that a transgender teammate of the Spartans had an unfair physical advantage over other players.
In a recent turn of events, a second lawsuit was filed this month in an attempt to disqualify the player from the conference tournament and restructure the conference standings without the forfeited matches. However, a judge denied this request on Monday and the decision was upheld by an appeal panel on Tuesday. Now, all eyes are on the highly anticipated conference final on Saturday, as the winner will secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which is set to begin next weekend.
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
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